Although Joey had told Biscuit he was returning to the upper tier, he didn't go back immediately. Instead, he followed the hole he had made and stopped at Tier 4, heading to the warehouse there that corresponded spatially to the one below.
Though it was the same location across decks, this spot—unlike the abandoned one below—was still guarded by King's Army soldiers.
Fortunately, none of them were Nen users, so Joey's infiltration went smoothly.
Upon reaching the warehouse, he released his insects into the space as he had on Tier 5.
Just like below, the Tier 4 warehouse appeared abandoned.
But instead of drilling straight up into Tier 3, Joey decided to leave behind a cockroach created by Gold Experience, then turned and moved on—visiting the corresponding warehouses on Tier 3 and Tier 2.
Only after planting his final cockroach in Tier 2's warehouse did he follow his original tunnel back to Tier 1.
Although Hisoka had discovered the coffin zone from Tier 1's warehouse, Joey wasn't sure that Tier 1 was truly the entrance.
After all, even his Withering Heart Piercing Chariot had once been teleported away from a lower-tier warehouse.
And to this day, that Chariot hadn't vanished.
The severed hand he left behind had been transformed into a ladybug by Gold Experience and remained in his pocket.
No injury on the ladybug. Still alive. A clear sign the Chariot still existed somewhere.
Everything had gone smoothly. By the time Joey returned to Tier 1, it was already past 3:00 AM.
Yawning, he glanced down at the hole beneath him before turning and leaving the room.
His ability wasn't suited for repairing buildings.
The lower-tier tunnel would surely be discovered by mid-morning, and then the King's Army would realize someone had infiltrated Tier 1.
Whether that would lead to increased security in the VVIP sector—he didn't know.
Joey picked a nearby room and brought the two still-unconscious men inside.
No time for sleep.
Before the holes were discovered, Joey quickly woke them up and applied some coercion.
Of course, he didn't mention that they were on Tier 1 now.
Not that they would've believed him even if he had.
After all, without extraordinary means, even reaching Tier 2 was nearly impossible—let alone Tier 1.
But that was the power of Nen.
"So, after we seal off a room and transfer the people inside using our abilities… you'll let us go?" the chubby youth asked again, sounding unsure. He added, "Just to be clear, my ability only transfers the people in a space—not the space itself."
"Yes. I just want the people inside that room moved," Joey said. Though truthfully, he didn't know if there was anyone in that room now.
The chubby one and the dark-skinned youth exchanged a glance.
Then the chubby one nodded on their behalf. "Alright. We believe you."
That answer made Joey raise an eyebrow slightly. He'd already known their only real option was to agree—refusal meant death.
But something about the way the chubby one said "we believe you" hinted at something more.
"We've seen you before—at Association HQ," the chubby one explained quickly. "We supported Chairman Netero. Conservative faction, if that means anything."
Joey didn't care. Plenty of people had seen him at the Association.
He'd been there during the elections after Netero's death. Every Hunter there had seen him.
As for "conservative faction"—Joey didn't even know which faction he belonged to.
Still, he didn't act cold. These two were already clinging to survival with everything they had.
They were injured, but still capable of using their powers.
Joey had bandaged them up—no Gold Experience healing for them.
Just splints and gauze. Biscuit hadn't held back when subduing them—plenty of bones were broken.
About fifteen minutes later, the three of them stepped into the corridor.
The area near the clone's room was still unguarded.
Joey stopped about twenty meters from the door, watching as the dark-skinned youth approached the room.
The chubby one stayed behind.
His power relied on placing a specially crafted object inside the target space. That object had to be carried in—so Joey sent the other one in his place.
The dark-skinned youth's job: seal the space and plant the conjured marker.
The marker needed blood to activate, so the youth wasn't in great condition.
But if he only had to maintain the seal for a few minutes, he could manage.
As he drew near, the door opened from within.
An unfamiliar face appeared.
The dark-skinned youth didn't react. He looked both ways, then entered calmly with the stranger.
No words exchanged.
He quickly pulled out a compass-like device, found the center of the room, and placed it down.
Then he drew a knife and slashed his left wrist.
Blood flowed from the wound, dripping onto the device.
The compass needle began to vibrate violently.
Transparent aura pulsed out, forming a bubble like a shimmering soap orb.
"All done?" Joey's clone asked in a deep voice—completely different from Joey's usual tone.
"Yeah. Based on spread rate, the whole room will be sealed in about ten minutes," the youth replied, tending to his wound while scanning the room.
The clone sensed the expanding bubble, which now covered both of them.
It became clear why Biscuit had been caught off guard.
The bubble felt exactly like an En field.
And as it grew more transparent, it became even harder to detect—giving the user a real advantage.
Once his bleeding was under control, the youth backed toward the door.
A few minutes later, as the bubble reached him, he nodded at the clone and stepped outside.
But the instant he crossed the threshold—
A hand holding a knife struck out from thin air, aiming straight for his back.
The knife pulsed with Nen. The attacker was clearly a user.
The youth had no idea—still casually walking away.
Yet the knife stopped mid-thrust.
A disembodied arm had materialized out of nowhere, bulging with veins, stopping the blade cold.
The attacker pushed with all their strength—but couldn't move it even an inch forward. It was as if an invisible wall blocked the stab.
As soon as the back of his shirt tore, the youth reacted instantly.
Nen flared around him and he darted forward, just as bullets fired from the room.
Each one slowed mid-air, then dropped harmlessly to the floor.
Everything had happened in an instant.
The attacker tried to pull the arm back into the room—
But a larger, stronger hand grabbed it from behind and snapped it in two.
Nen couldn't shield it. The arm cracked with a sickening crunch.
Screams and gunfire echoed from the room.
But not a single soul was visible inside.
Watching from afar, Joey smiled.
His hunch had been right.
The Thirteenth Prince's Nen beast was cloaking this space.
The weather beast had used the air itself to block the knife and bullets—saving the youth at the last second.
The clone inside the room had seized the attacker's arm as it emerged.
Same location—different dimensions.
Joey's En now enveloped the entire doorway.
He turned to the chubby one. "Get back to the room and activate your ability—pull them out."
The chubby one had been stunned since seeing the ambush.
No—he'd been stunned since seeing the room's number.
He hadn't wanted to believe it… but now he couldn't deny it.
Joey wasn't bluffing.
This really was the VVIP center on Tier 1 of the Black Whale.
Joey had teleported them to the top deck.
He only had one thought: WTF.
Sensing the man's panic, the weather beast on Joey's shoulder waved a hand.
A violent gust of wind hurled the chubby man straight toward the room.
Rain clouds began forming in the corridor.
Joey no longer cared about hiding.
The moment the attackers revealed themselves, the game changed.
He was now waiting for the chubby one to finish his work.
Thunder, charged with Nen, erupted down the hallway, slamming toward the King's Army troops trying to charge the room.
The dark-skinned youth's ability was no longer usable.
Even if Joey shielded him, the King's Army wouldn't give him time to act—nor would he risk himself for Joey.
As for the chubby one—Joey trusted he was smart enough not to run.
The wind that carried him wasn't just to speed him up—it was a warning.
More soldiers flooded through the door.
The first three radiated hardened aura—experienced Nen users.
Thunder struck again and again—
But one of them raised both hands, manifesting a glowing energy shield made of hexagonal barriers.
It absorbed the lightning completely.
A Conjurer—a defensive-type user.
The design surprised Joey. It looked… futuristic.
But En didn't only cover for thunder.
Boom!
Fire burst from the doorway, engulfing the soldiers.
Yet in the next moment, it vanished—sucked away by one of them with a deep breath.
His face turned red, but he showed no pain.
He'd inhaled the entire blaze!
Wasn't he afraid of burning alive?!
Even if he was a Transmuter, fire wasn't easy to control.
But with just these two, Joey understood—
Even though his clone looked completely different from him, the King's Army had prepared specifically for him.
These countermeasures—lightning resistance, fire absorption—were tailored to his powers.
And with two blockers in place, Joey's long-range support faltered.
The third Nen user had reached his clone.
Meanwhile, the rest of the soldiers charged toward Joey's real body and the dark-skinned youth.
The clone wasn't particularly strong—its specialty was sudden bursts and close combat using basic Nen properties.
Bam!
A punch confirmed the attacker was an Enhancer.
But as Joey's clone clashed fists, he noticed something—
The man had thrown a spinning top.
Joey's heart sank.
He'd seen that top in Zone 12 before.
Not good.
The top hit the ground and began to spin.
The moment Joey's clone saw it rotate—he froze like a wind-up toy suddenly unwound.
The soldier had been momentarily pushed back, but now surged forward, landing a headshot punch on the unguarded clone.
Splurt!
The clone's head exploded like a watermelon.
But before the attacker could smile, a coin streaked in from afar and slammed into his back.
With massive force, it flung him back into the room.
He took three steps—then disintegrated into ash.
His comrades turned just in time to see only a puff of smoke, a bit of white dust, and a rolling coin tumbling deeper into the room.
(End of Chapter)